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Using masks as therapeutic aids in family therapy
Author(s) -
Baptiste David A.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-6427
pISSN - 0163-4445
DOI - 10.1046/j..1989.00332.x
Subject(s) - magic (telescope) , interpersonal communication , perception , therapeutic relationship , psychotherapist , psychology , family therapy , social psychology , psychoanalysis , neuroscience , physics , quantum mechanics
‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person, give him a mask and he will tell the truth’ (Oscar Wilde). This paper describes an innovative technique which uses masks as therapeutic aids in treating families in conflict. Structured within the framework of interpersonal perception, this technique uses play, humour, and the power and ‘magic’ of masks paradoxically to ‘unmask’ family members and facilitate reality‐testing of perceptions distorted by the emotional masks individuals create and project onto each other. Mask usage is suggested as an adjunct to other therapeutic approaches currently used with families. Caveats and contradictions for the technique are presented. A case study illustrates the use of the technique with a reconstituted family.